In the wake of mass immigration raids across America, “there is a lot of concern” on the Moraine Valley campus, says political science professor Kevin Navratil.
“We have students who are undocumented. We have students who are concerned that their information could be shared,” Navratil said. “It’s a stressful environment, to say the least.”
Serving as both a reminder of current tensions and as an assurance to students, a recent student newsletter from Moraine Valley President Pamela J. Haney addressed the potential presence on campus of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
“In light of recent news related to federal enforcement of immigration policies and procedures across the country, Moraine Valley Community College remains committed to fulfilling our mission, vision and values and to ensuring a safe learning environment for our diverse community,” the newsletter read. “It is important that all students can attend classes and learn in a place surrounded by positivity and inclusivity.”
The letter stated that considering mass raids of cities and towns across America conducted by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Moraine Valley will protect its students in accordance with established local and federal law. It included information and resources for international, immigrant and undocumented students.
“I believe the statement made by President Haney speaks to the efforts of the college to protect immigrant and undocumented people on campus,” said Moraine Valley Police Chief Patrick Treacy. “Regarding the police department, our interest is to provide a safe and welcoming environment for the college community.”
Hispanic/Latino students make up a large chunk of the Moraine Valley community, with students accounting for 27.3 percent of those enrolled at the college, according to Data USA. With immigration raids mainly targeting this demographic, as ordered by the Trump administration, college campuses have quickly become easy targets.
Moraine Valley is pledging to do what it can to protect undocumented students and faculty on campus, according to Treacy.
“Students should feel safe with the Moraine Valley police officers,” he said. “We are not going to initiate immigration enforcement. Frankly, it is counter to our mission of providing a safe and welcoming environment.
“That said, I cannot guarantee ICE and CBP agents will not come on campus. While we have been informed they currently have no plans to be active on campuses, I do not know what the future holds and will not make a false promise. But if they come to campus, we will take efforts to make sure they are acting legally and do everything we lawfully can do to mitigate the situation.”
Trump administration takes action on immigration
President Donald Trump made immigration reform one of the hallmarks of his 2024 campaign. He repeatedly claimed America has an open border and that tens of millions of illegal immigrants entered the country under former president Joe Biden. Trump also claimed that the illegal immigrants coming into America are bringing crime, but researchers have concluded that those who are undocumented commit crime at significantly lower rates than those born in America.
Trump and his administration are having ICE and CBP carry out these raids across the country, largely focusing on sanctuary cities. ICE has a history of mistreatment allegations in its detention centers, such as family separation, physical and sexual assault, and lack of essential supplies such as food, clothing and beds for children.
When Trump attempted to carry out ICE raids in 2019, Grace Meng, formerly of Human Rights Watch, warned about the risks of abuse and harm those targeted experience.
Alongside the immigration raids, Trump has attempted to end birthright citizenship in the U.S. with an executive action. “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” uses the Fourteenth Amendment to argue that birthright citizenship does not extend to children of parents who were not legal citizens of the United States. Twenty-two states filed lawsuits against the action, and in State of Washington v. Trump, a federal judge ruled the action was “blatantly unconstitutional.” A 14-day restraining order against it was issued, but Trump has said the ruling will be appealed.
Although birthright citizenship is in limbo, immigration raids are happening daily, with sanctuary cities such as Chicago being prioritized. ICE is arresting hundreds of people every day, with the figure exceeding 1,000 in several cases. On Jan. 26, 956 people were arrested, and 1,179 people were arrested the following day. Nearly 100 people in Chicago were arrested in these raids, but it is not known how many of them have criminal records.
Cities push back against immigration raids
These raids are not taking place without pushback. Undocumented people in America are expressing fear, and warnings of ICE being spotted in certain cities are being posted onto social media (although some of those sightings are unverified).
Mayors of sanctuary cities are only complying with ICE in situations in which law enforcement has warrants or deportation orders for specific undocumented persons, for example. Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson and Pittsburgh major Ed Gainey have both taken the stance that their city will do what they can to protect undocumented immigrants.
With Trump’s immigration reform widely seen as provocative, this objection was virtually a guarantee.
The raids’ results are being advertised on social media, as the White House X page is plastered with the names and faces of “criminal illegal aliens.”
The effects of the raids are only beginning. Businesses that employ, or have a customer base made up of, undocumented migrants or even documented Hispanic/Latino Americans, are already hurting. Businesses in the Chicago Latino neighborhood of Little Village have seen a 50-60 percent drop in sales, according to WTTW.
The absence of undocumented workers in manual labor fields could prove costly for the economy. According to Barron’s, “About 7.6 million undocumented individuals are employed in the U.S. labor market, accruing over $375 billion in income in 2022 and paying $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022, according to estimates from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The loss of that tax revenue could be perilous given Trump’s proposed tax-cutting agenda.”
Detained migrants moved to Guántanamo Bay
As of Feb. 4, the Trump administration had already begun sending migrants to a detention camp at the United States Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, which has had a detention camp for more than two decades. Similarly to ICE, the Guantánamo Bay base also has a history of alleged mistreatment of detainees, including abuse and torture.
One of the biggest things on which former President Barack Obama ran his campaign in 2008 was closing the detention camps in Guántanamo. Two days after his inauguration in 2009, Obama signed an executive action shutting down its facilities, but Congress opposed it.
Almost 20 years have passed since the momentum Obama initially garnered, and now in 2025, Guántanamo will be “prepared to hold tens of thousands of migrants.” Migrants kept at the southern border have begun being flown to Guántanmo despite attorneys at the Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon mulling over the flights’ legality.
“It’s despicable that we are using Guantanamo Bay again to hold people that were in the United States,” Navratil said. “I think it’s a very concerning development and shows they’re going to push beyond the moral and legal boundaries – doing whatever they possibly can to deport the most amount of people.”
On Feb. 6, the Trump Administration sued the state of Illinois over its immigration policies. Gov. JB Pritzker has vowed to fight back against this lawsuit, showing that the battle over immigration in America is far from over.
Pritzker, who has also acknowledged that Illinois will cooperate in scenarios where law enforcement have warrants or deportation orders for immigrants, has said the state values and will protect its immigrants.
“Immigrants are an essential part of what makes this country great. In Illinois, we welcome and protect them, despite threats from President Trump.
“In the face of a coordinated attempt by the president to stoke fear, exploit division, and force families into the shadows, Illinois stands as a firewall against the president’s attacks on our immigrant communities. To every hardworking immigrant resident of our great state: Illinois is and always will be a welcoming state for all.”
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